The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, as amended, normally referred to as the ASL Act, sets out your child’s right to receive appropriate support in education.   

The ASL Act’s Statutory guidance explains how this should be applied in practice, including planning and supporting transitions such as the move from early years settings to school. Chapter 6 of the guidance focuses specifically on transitions.  

Plans for your child to move to primary school can start from an early age. It’s best for everyone to have as long as possible to think about what support your child will need to prepare for school. It also means there’s plenty of time to make sure they’ll have the right school placement, and the right support in place when they start.

The law also sets timescales for when certain things must happen. No later than 12 months before your child is due to start school, the local authority must gather information about your child’s needs. They’ll do this via the nursery and any other people who work with your child. Then no later than 6 months before they’re due to start, they must give information about your child’s needs to those who’ll be supporting your child at school.

If your child has very short-term needs, this amount of planning might not be needed. But it’s still important that the nursery passes on any useful information about how they’ve supported your child to the new school.

The term ‘enhanced transition’ describes additional support provided to some children to help them move from early learning and childcare, into Primary 1, in a way that reflects their individual needs, while supporting them to become comfortable with their new surroundings  and the adults they will see each day. 

Starting Primary 1 can feel both exciting and unfamiliar, particularly for children with additional support for learning (ASL) needs or those who benefit from extra preparation. 

Most children will have opportunities to visit the primary school and meet their Primary 1 teacher before they start. Enhanced transitions build on this by offering further opportunities to become familiar with the environment, routines, and key staff, helping to ease the move into school life. This could include: 

Enhanced transitions aim to reduce anxiety and support a confident start to school, recognising that settling into a new environment can take time. 

Planning should begin well in advance of starting school, often during the final year in early learning and childcare, allowing families, early years staff, and school staff to work together to support each child’s transition. 

Every child’s experience will be different. Early communication with your child’s nursery or school can help ensure a positive and well-supported move into Primary 1. 

Most children with additional support needs go to their local catchment mainstream school. Some children who need more specialist support might go to a special school, or a support base or unit at a mainstream school.

Whatever school your child goes to, it’s important to know that they will have the right to get the support they need.

To help work out where might suit your child best, it’s good to start by talking to the nursery and any other people who help support your child. They’re likely to have good knowledge of local schools and where might be a good fit. You can ask for a transition planning meeting to talk through whether the catchment school will be suitable, or if not what should happen next.

It is good to get started with these conversations as soon as possible. Different local authorities have their own deadlines for when requests to schools need to be sent in by.  If you want to make a placing request to a different school, the national deadline is 15^th March, but your local authority might have their own deadline which is a bit earlier. You can ask your child’s nursery for more information about how things work in your area.

Our page Choosing the right school explains more about types of school and how placements are arranged.

As part of the transition planning process, you and the people working with your child, like their health visitor and nursery staff, should consider whether the catchment school can meet your child’s support needs. Together, you should identify what extra help your child would need to be able to attend the school and work with the local authority to make sure this will be in place.

If everyone agrees that the catchment primary school will not be suitable for your child, someone working with your child can refer them to a placement panel. This is a panel of people that make decisions about school placements for children with additional support needs. The local authority should then identify a suitable school placement for your child. Our page on Choosing the right school explains more about how placement decisions are made.

If you disagree with the school that the local authority has decided to place your child in, you should raise your concerns with your local authority. Sometimes your local authority will give you the opportunity to appeal their decision. If you are not able to reach an agreement with the local authority, you have the right to make a ‘placing request’ to a school of your choice. Our page Placing requests explains how to do this.

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If your child will still be 4 at the start of the school year in August, they do not have to start school yet. This is called ‘deferred entry’. If you choose to defer entry, your child will be eligible for an extra funded year of early learning and childcare hours.

Most local authorities have information on their website which explains the process in your area for registering your child for deferred entry. If you cannot find this information, you can ask your child’s nursery or the primary school for help.

If your child will be 5 at the start of the school year in August, they would usually be expected to start school then. This is because legal ‘school age’ in Scotland is from 5 until 16. In exceptional circumstances some children might still be able to defer entry. This is up to your local authority to decide.

Education Scotland’s page Starting school provides information for parents and carers about starting Primary 1. It explains what to expect, how transitions are supported, and how families and schools can work together to help children settle into school. 

Parent Club’s page Starting primary school provides information for parents and carers about starting primary school. It offers practical advice on helping children prepare for Primary 1, including tips on routines, independence, talking about school, and supporting children’s emotional wellbeing during the transition. 

Parent Club’s page Can my child defer starting school? provides information for parents and carers about delaying a child’s start in Primary 1. It explains who can defer, what this means, and offers guidance on what to consider when deciding what is right for your child. 

Parenting Across Scotland’s page Starting primary school provides practical advice for parents and carers to support children starting school. It includes simple tips on routines, emotional support, communication, and helping children settle into school life.